D.J.'s Front Porch

Veteran sideman Duane Jarvis can be seen as a musician's musician. Before making his first solo album, he served time playing with such diverse acts as Aussie new wave rockers the Divinyls, Canadian power poppers the Odds, and country acts like Dwight Yoakam and Lucinda Williams. For his debut, Jarvis thankfully doesn't try to revisit every stop in his musical past, but instead he focuses on creating some blue-collar Americana. The twangy jangle of the leadoff track, "Full Moon Man," quickly establishes the musical tone: old school roots rock that he serves up in a variety of flavors. This subtle versatility is nicely exemplified midway through the disc. "A Little Bit of Hurt," with its '60s soul pop spirit, is followed by the blues-accented "I Can Hardly Wait." The record then moves on to side two — another display of Jarvis' traditional musical values — with the rave-up rocker "Good on Paper" and the slow honky tonk tune "She's Like a Drink." Vocally, Jarvis suggests a twangy cross of Marshall Crenshaw and Ray Davies. The Davies influence becomes more explicit on the enthusiastic cover of the Kinks' "This Is Where I Belong." The record's relaxed arrangements fit in perfectly with the down-home mood of D.J.'s Front Porch. Jarvis' guitar playing is sharp and versatile, while his brother/drummer Kevin Jarvis and bassist Bobby McDonald form a solid and suitably selfless rhythm section. Fans of no-frills bar rock will find a lot to enjoy on this disc.